Elektra

Monday, September 22, 2008

Remember Him?

Alberto Vilar, investor and one-time heavy-hitting arts donor, goes on trial this week. The Times story details the charges; to the extent that he admits anything, he says the problems were "regulatory." We'll see how the trial turns out.

Update: I corrected the link and spelling of Vilar's name around 2:15 p.m. on Monday.

3 comments:

Any particular reason that your link goes to a Paul Krugman article form January, 2005, other than the continuing financial crisis? :-)

Ah, Alberto Villar. His BFF Placido Domingo sure was happy to get his alleged $$$, but the first sign of trouble here was when the funds didn't appear for a Kirov War & Peace and they had to substitute Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Then the whole Industrial Light and Magic Ring bit the dust, not long before Mr. Villar's house of cards feel apart.

Does Mr. Villar still have a plaque on the grand tier or wherever it was at the Met?

Yes - I was simultaneously writing about Vilar and slugging it out with someone on The Well who apparently bought the propaganda about about Social Security running out of money in 2017, which is now being circulated in official government communications as well as by right-wing lackeys in the media. Apparently I pasted the Krugman link in too many places.

The plaque naming the grand tier or whatever after Vilar is gone; Floral Hall at Covent Garden no longer wears his name. Poor guy - he is spending most of his time in a huge apartment in NYC. The article mentions a 5,500 s.f. living room, which is more than four times the size of my whole house.